Musical toy hoop.



No. 802,078. PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905.

J. HUNTER.

MUSICAL TOY HOOP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

as not to interfere with its vibrations.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1905.

Application filed September 6, 1904:. Serial No. 223,374.

To (1 whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I, JAMES HUNTER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Toy Hoops; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a musical toy hoop; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means whereby a bell mounted centrally within the hoop may be caused to successively ring by the operation of gravity-hammers which strike the bell as the hoop is rolled along.

The above object is attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hoop involving my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in elevation, showing the operation of the spring-yoke which permits the hammer to strike the bell, yet causes the hammer to rebound therefrom, so Fig. 4 is a perspective view, in fragmentary detail, showing one of the stop-plates which arrest the hammers in their transverse movement. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary-view in perspective, showing a modified form of attaching the bell-supporting wires to the rim of the hoop.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates a hoop, preferably made of steel wire and having attached thereto small clamping-plates 2, located diametrically opposite each other. To these clamping-plates are secured the radial strands 3, which extend from said plates inwardly to the center of the hoop and are attached to the opposed plates 4, carrying the transverse bolt 5, upon which the bell 6 is mounted. Between the strands 3 are located the stop-plates 7 whose flanged ends 8 are apertured to receive said strands, which are passed therethrough, as shown in Fig. 4:, whereby the stop-plates are held against slipping. The hammers 9 are mounted upon the opposite ends of a yoke 10, formed, preferably, of spring-wire, the straight end portions 11 of said yoke, which extend through the hammers, being adapted to slide through an aperture 12 in the center of the stop-plates 7, while the yoke 10 is guided by passing through an eye 13, formed on one of the strands 3. The stop-plates 7 are so positioned upon the strands 3 on each side of the bell 6 as to arrest the lowermost hammer upon the end of each of the yokes, when said hammers are caused to fall by gravity through the rotation of the hoop, so as to permit the uppermost hammerof each yoke by the force of its impetus to strike the bell through the springing of the yoke, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and yet rebound therefrom so as not to deaden the vibrations of the bell, the arrangement being such, as will be seen,.to cause each of the hammers in succession to fall by gravity and strike the bell as the hoop is rolled along, said hammers sliding downwardly with the yokes as the rotation of the hoop brings the strands 3, upon which their respective yokes are mounted, into a vertical position, whereby as the hoop is rolled along the bell in the center is caused to ring each time each strand assumes avertical position, thereby causing the hammer by gravity to slide downwardly and strike the bell, the sudden arresting of the lower hammer by the stop-plate in each instance causing the impact of the upper hammer to spring the yoke sufficient] y to drive the hammer against the bell. Instead of employing the plates 2 to attach the strands 3 to the rim of the hoop said strands may be secured in place by cutting a notch 14;, as shown in Fig. 5, in the rim of the hoop, so as to allow the strands 3 to lie therein.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as 'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.- A musical toy hoop, comprising a rim, a-' centrally disposed bell, adjacent radial strands supporting said bell from the rim, a slidable hammer mounted upon and between said strands and adapted to strike the bell by gravity as the hoop revolves.

2. A musical toy hoop, comprising a rim, a centrally-disposed bell, radial strands in pairs supporting the bell from the rim, guides mounted between the strands, a slidable yoke having hammers at its ends said yoke slidably porting the bell from the rim, a spring-yoke having a hammer at each end, said yoke 5 mounted to slide diametrically upon said strands to bring each hammer in succession in contact with the bell as the hoop revolves, and a stop for arresting the movement of the yoke In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 20 tion in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HUNTER.

Witnesses:

E. S. WHEELER, 1. G. HOWLETT. 

